Thursday, October 9, 2014

Trick Shot Magic 2014

ESPN's Trick Shot Magic took place on October 9, 2014 at Harrah's Resort in San Diego, CA. A four-man field battled out for supremacy including Florian Kohler, Nick Nikolaidas, Andy Segal, and Gabi Visoiu. This was reduced from the typical eight man tournament, but there was no shortage of action.

In the first semifinal, Andy "The Magic Man" Segal took on Nick "Quick Nick" Nikolaidas. They share 5 WPA World Championships between them, including the last 4 in a row, so the heat was on from the get go. The tight match ended 8-8 and went to a sudden death tiebreaker featuring an 9 rail bank on to a hundred dollar bill. Segal got inches closer for the victory and a spot in the finals!

In the second semifinal, two of Europe's finest (and World Cup teammates) took battle with Gabi "Mr. Perfect" Visoiu taking on Florian "Venom" Kohler. The match started out tight and was 5-5 by the midway point. Kohler then started to pull away in the second half of the match to take a 10-7 victory!

With Segal and Kohler in the finals, everyone was on the edge of their seats! Segal though took an early lead and while Kohler fought valiantly, he never closed the gap completely and Segal took a 9-7 victory to claim his fourth Trick Shot Magic championship in a row!

The 2014 Trick Shot Magic will be airing on the ESPN networks on December 28sometime in November. Stay tuned for future updates!